Loretta Lynn at Massey Hall, Toronto – Concert review

The last time I went to a concert to see an iconic woman perform was a couple of years ago in Las Vegas. I saw Cher and well, as much as I wanted to feel good about the experience, I felt ripped off. Lots of money spent on a pretty crummy forty five minute set.

With Loretta Lynn, I had no idea what to expect. The woman is pushing eighty and quite frankly, I wondered whether she still had the chops to pull it off. The show started shortly after 8pm but instead of Loretta, we got her daughters, Patsy and Peggy who took to the stage to perform three songs because Loretta was still “getting ready.” Not the news I wanted to hear. They performed well, but I was looking forward to Loretta, not her kids.

By the time Loretta Lynn finally walked onto the stage at 8:23, I was ready to be disappointed. She started in with a cover song, “Let Your Love Flow” – not the strongest opening, but gradually, she settled in, and began engaging the audience with stories about her early beginnings in music; this, coupled with singing fan favourites – at least the ones she remembered – “She’s Got You” (another cover), “The Pill,” “Honky Tonk Girl” and others was what I was hoping for. Her voice seemed as strong as ever and she had some fun moments onstage with her band, The Coalminers.

I felt privileged to see her perform. Loretta Lynn exceeded my expectations. She delivered an incredible experience for which I am more than thankful.

P.S. – it’s pretty cool when somebody Loretta’s age can inspire the audience to rush the stage for her finale which was of course, “Coalminer’s Daughter.”

This entry was posted on September 16, 2012 at 1:17 am and is filed under Gig Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

One Response to Loretta Lynn at Massey Hall, Toronto – Concert review

Larry on September 16, 2012 at 10:46 am

Loretta’s concerts have always been more than just Loretta. Her talented children have been touring with her since they were old enough to sing. Her son Ernie use to play guitar in her band. Her twins use to sing back up. In the late 90s, they put out there own album and was nominated for ACM and CMA awards. Loretta has always shared the stage with her family and band members. That’s why it’s called the Loretta Lynn Show. As for covers,She’s got you was a number one hit for Loretta in 77. It was off her tribute album to Patsy Cline. Other than that I agree Loretta can.still belt it out and hold the audience in the palm of her hand! After all she is the Queen of Country Music!